We know that, for the past year, most schools have shut their physical doors and switched to virtual learning. But just because you’ve lost access to many classroom resources doesn’t mean your students are unable to experience museums, theaters, or historic sites!

During the pandemic, many museums have uploaded or made virtual tours of their exhibits. In an effort to continue to inspire your students, we’ve put together a complete listing of all the free online resources we could find. Here are a few highlights that will get you excited for virtual field trips.

George Washington’s Mount Vernon

In an effort to help support teachers, Mount Vernon has published daily live-stream events that focus on different aspects of mansion life. They’ve also released a Digital Resource page for teachers and published their distance learning broadcasts on their website as free downloads.

Learn more about Mount Vernon…

 

The National Holocaust Memorial Museum

If you’ve already completed your study of the Holocaust, or you’re just about to start, the National Holocaust Museum in D.C. has free films, timelines, articles, and teacher resources to supplement your lesson plans.

Learn more about the Holocaust Memorial Museum…

 

The National Zoo

The National Zoo gives online visitors access to live-stream feeds from their many exhibits around the park, as well as an at-home activity guide. They also published a full STEM lesson plan titled “Follow That Bird” for students to complete at home.

Learn more about science-focused tours…

 

 

The U.S.S. Constitution

The U.S.S. Constitution has published tons of online resources for teachers, and they also have a pretty incredible online activity titled “A Sailor’s Life For Me” with games and lessons that teach students about the War of 1812.

Learn more about the USS Constitution…

We may have to stay separate to stop the spread of this virus, but together we can still help our students stay engaged and inspired while learning from home! Learn more about safely returning to travel on our Covid-19 FAQ page.

Are there any online resources or virtual field trips that we missing from our list? Please let us know by commenting below or contacting us.

Originally published April 2020, updated April 2021.

Christina Nicol